FanBolt.com's Talks About OMWH, Spamalot with Clay

FanBolt.com's brilliant, and lengthy interview with Clay is now up! A few weeks ago, FanBlot asked Clay fans to submit questions, and some of these questions were asked during the interview.

When Clay Aiken and his executive producer Jaymes Foster began the search for songs to record for Aiken's first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, they both fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics - how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults - struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection.

I think the #1 question everyone wants to know is when is the tour?

I don't have an answer for that actually. I have no idea. We were going to take some time off, and we haven't started planning one. I'm sure we will do it, we just don't know when as of now.

Do you have a favorite song on the new album?

No, I couldn't pick one. I mean this is the first album where everything is handpicked by myself and my executive producer, so we have reasons we liked every song. There's an eclectic mix, there's some variety in it without question, and that makes many of them favorites for different reasons.

[...]

You mentioned in one of the earlier interviews, I'm not sure who it was with, but you mentioned using an "out of tune" piano.

Oh did I? Did I mention that? Who did I say that to?

A sound that you liked that Kipper was able to reproduce for you?

Yeah, I can't believe I said that to someone, but okay. It's true, so I guess I must have.

Your fans want to know what song uses that as accompaniment?

Well I'm not going to tell them. Let them figure it out. It is true, it's in at least one, it might actually be in two, but it's in at least one. Let them guess! I can't believe I told that... I do love that sound. We decided to get an upright piano, and do it that way, and when I heard it I was like," HOLY CRAP! That's it!"

So it's in there. Let's see how good their ears are [laughs]!

[...]

I've seen Spamalot, and I'm a huge fan as well. How do you keep a straight face, especially as the drunken guard Prince Herbert scene?

I don't keep a straight face. Well during the drunken guard scene I do, because I don't think it's funny [laughs]. But honestly, it's because it's not that easy to do. It's not an easy thing for me. I have to think about it constantly. That's the one scene of the show where I still have to think about my lines. Normally, the rest of the play I don't even have to pay attention to my lines, but that's the one scene where I still do have to pay attention, so I don't say the wrong thing. But there are plenty of parts throughout the play where I don't keep a straight face.

Down the line, if the opportunity ever arose would you consider acting on television or perhaps in movies?

Yeah, I would love that. I always like to try new things. That was the reason we decided to do Spamalot. Something to kind of push us out of our comfort zone, so if the right opportunity came along then sure, absolutely.

[...]

Your fans miss the "Tug."! So I have to ask since we all love it so much, do you intend to use it again?

Oh Lord, no. That has its mark. If I sing that song again, I'll do it again if I'm in the mood. That was actually an accident that happened, it... it became a phenomenon! So when I do it, I do it for the fans and not naturally. We kind of joke around backstage sometimes when I'm about to sing "Invisible", and I'm like, "Oh crap where am I supposed to do that?" I can never remember where it's supposed to be [laughs], so we do it on purpose now. I think that has its place.